Standout Lauren Blanco has been a steadying force for the Franklin High School volleyball team all season long.

That continued during the Margaret Hussmann Tournament of Champions.

The senior outside hitter hammered down 16 kills in leading the No. 1-ranked Cougars to a 25-14, 25-20, 25-23 win against No. 5-ranked Chapin in Saturday's championship match.

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Felix Chavez

"Lauren put us on her back and carried us this weekend," Cougars coach Flo Valdez said. "She is playing her best volleyball of her career right now. She is really focused and she's getting it done in every phase of the game. I'm really happy with our team's win. We beat some good teams and we had lots of people step up."

Blanco also registered 28 kills in a quarterfinal victory on Friday against Eastwood.

"Our team is playing really well right now and my teammates are doing a tremendous job of communicating," Blanco said. "I really enjoy playing with them. Everyone is contributing and working hard. It was a great weekend for us. We made lots of improvement as a team."

The Cougars, who beat No. 4 Eastlake in the semifinals, dominated Game 1 behind six kills from Blanco. Chapin was much more competitive in Games 2 and 3 and actually had chances to win. The Huskies led 16-12 in the second game, but Franklin used a 7-0 run to overtake the Huskies and go up 2-0. And in the third game, Chapin tied the game at 23 by going on an 4-0 run, but a ball-handling error and a hitting error gave Franklin the win.

The Huskies were led by strong performances from senior hitters Mariessa Carrasco and Rachel Pirtle, each with 11 kills.

"I was happy with how we played this weekend," Chapin coach Joe Morales said. "We made some improvement in key areas. Franklin is just so good, especially on the outside with its hitters."